The field of the disclosure relates generally to galley chiller systems for use on an airplane, and more specifically to a galley chiller condenser exhaust system that uses a secondary air source and an ejector pump to vent chiller condenser exhaust heat.
To minimize public health risks, compliance standards have been issued that mandate transportation industries maintain servable food at 4° C. (39° F.). Some known galley chiller systems cannot perform to the extent needed to meet these compliance regulations due to the system's limited exhaust fan capacity that results in a limited capacity to vent condenser exhaust heat. Moreover, galley chillers can not be increased in size without major changes to airplane structures and power systems. As a result, airlines may be fined by government agencies. Therefore, chiller performance must be increased, for example, by decreasing chiller condenser inlet temperatures, without subsequently increasing chiller size or power consumption.
More specifically, known galley chiller systems include a compressor for use in pumping a refrigeration fluid to a condenser that in turn transfers heat from the compressed fluid to the surrounding environment. The fluid from the condenser is regulated through an expansion valve to an evaporator where the refrigerant fluid expands to cool. The location of the galley chiller system condenser is such that typically a portion of the heat from the condenser is transferred to a cabin air recirculation system, which increases the load on the aircraft cooling system.
Known commercial aircraft include at least several nonintegrated cooling systems. For example, an aircraft cooling system primarily provides cooling for the aircraft cabin area. A power electronics cooling system cools the power electronics of various aircraft systems to maintain the electronics within a desired temperature range. Additionally, such aircraft may also utilize a Lavatory/Galley Ventilation system which vents lavatories, galley work spaces, ovens, in-flight entertainment (IFE) equipment and avionics equipment throughout the aircraft. Some known aircraft use a dedicated chiller exhaust system that utilizes a high capacity fan and duct system to exhaust the chiller condenser heat. Over time, larger galleys have been added to some commercial aircraft to meet the longer flight time food-service requirements. Such known chiller exhaust systems are limited by the system's fan capacity and cannot vent galleys chillers, especially those galleys located aft of the wing box. However, simply adding an additional aft chiller exhaust system is not feasible due to space limitations, airflow management issues, smoke penetration certification requirements, and the additional electrical loads that would be exerted by such a system. Moreover, the lavatory/galley ventilation system may not be feasible as a chiller exhaust solution because most current lavatory/galley ventilation systems operate at maximum capacity.